Advice On Bonding Boars

[Mirynka]

I have a male piggy who is almost a year old now and he's been alone since leaving mum due to major health problems... Now he's all cleared with the vets I want him to have a friend (all the love and cuddles i can give just isn't enough)

There are 2 younger piggies that i think would be a lovely fit for him. One is the same size as my piggy but not very confident and the other is smaller but hugely curious and a playful.

The thing is, they come as a bonded pair. I love them both and i think Bash would too, I'm just worried that he would be left out.

Any tips would be very helpful

 

[Wiebke]

I have a male piggy who is almost a year old now and he's been alone since leaving mum due to major health problems... Now he's all cleared with the vets I want him to have a friend (all the love and cuddles i can give just isn't enough)

There are 2 younger piggies that i think would be a lovely fit for him. One is the same size as my piggy but not very confident and the other is smaller but hugely curious and a playful.

The thing is, they come as a bonded pair. I love them both and i think Bash would too, I'm just worried that he would be left out.

Any tips would be very helpful

Hi!

Unfortunately with all three boars still well inside the teenage months, you fall-out risk with a trio of boars is still very high; it won't be quite the 90% that three same age teenagers face, but even at the best of times any piggy trio is failing more often than not. It is by far the most difficult constellation to get right.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
(Also contains information on the phases during the teenage months)

Personally, I would recommend to contact Heathlands and any of the Wood Green branches in your county to see whether they have single boars you could date at the rescue, so you come home only with a new friend if acceptance has happened. It means that Bash can decide who he wants to live with at no risk of yours coming home with piggies that do not bond. You are also guaranteed that any new piggies are properly sexed and fully quarantined/healthy upon adoption, plus you have the rescue's back-up if there are problems with the pair during the lifetime of one of their adopted piggies.
An age gap is of advantage when you are dealing with sub-adults and have got only one boar going through the big hormone spikes. Please always contact all rescues you can get to and ask them directly; rescues often have more piggies in the pipeline than on the website.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator